O. - 'Slice'
‘Slice’ ,the latest single from British duo O., is packed with driving, power-punched drum and bass with a taste of sexy saxophone.
O. are back with the title track from their upcoming four-track EP SLICE, due for release on 24th November via Speedy Wunderground. Having received support from the likes of Stereogum, NME, and Rough Trade with the release of last year’s single, “OGO,” O.’s freshness and original sound is bound to wow the crowd once more. The vibrant and dynamic duo that we now know as O. was formed when Joe Henwood and Tash Keary decided to start jamming together by way of a lockdown bubble in 2020. They began to play with effects like pedal boards, reverb, and delay with Henwood’s saxophone and Keary’s drums and also hosted collaborative live sessions, cleverly named O Zone, at Brixton Windmill, further nourishing their creativity and growing their tribe. Thus, wonderful music experiments such as ‘Slice’ were produced and put out into the world for all to hear (and we’re very thankful for that!).
Inspired by a weeklong getaway to Recife, Brazil, ‘Slice’ is brought to life through multitudes of rich and loud saxophone and drum beats. The electric pulse of the invigorating Brazilian carnival is almost tangible to the listener; one can imagine themselves in the middle of a busy audience, watching the improvisational performance between Henwood and Keary go on in front of them. There’s a heavy bass influence in there, too, taking notes from Jamaican dub legend King Tubby. ‘Slice’ is a juicy track with its own unique rhythm, creating its own language with musical instruments and providing a strong feeling of a funky electronic disorder, causing mayhem with O.’s sporadic and unconventional movements. And yet, there’s a smoothness that starts to surface, only for the listener to be pulled back down again into the depths of musical chaos seconds later…then rising back up to the top, kept on the precipice before jumping off of it again. Keary, one-half of O., says: “People have come to see us and said they’ve enjoyed the fact it feels about two centimetres from falling apart”. Their music certainly keeps one on edge, pulling one in with a strange charm and effervescent intensity.
This is that “something different” you’ve been pining for with ‘Slice’s' shape-shifting puzzle pieces of drums, bass, and saxophone, keeping one entrained in its vigorous grooves for days.
Words by Sydney Kaster
